The tragic and cruel lynching of Mohammed Akhlaq, over rumours that he consumed beef, in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, is a natural outcome of the spread of hate politics in parts of India. (“It was mutton, says slain man’s mother,” and “Outcome of Hindutva hate campaigns,” Oct.1). So long as parties and governments keep playing identity politics and mixing it up with food choices for electoral gains, such mob attacks will keep happening.
The uncontrollable nature of such a frenzied response means that not only will people be killed but we will also suffer because of the resultant mistakes, rumours and confusions. People from castes traditionally engaged in skinning and disposing of dead cattle have also been accused of ‘bovine slaughter’ and fatally attacked. These are ‘honour killings’ of another dishonourable kind.
Manoj K. Chahil,
Delhi
The Dadri lynching brings to light the simmering communal tensions created by Hindutva elements. It is part of the design of the politics of the Right-wing. The silence of the Prime Minister seems to be part of the same design. What is needed in India today is complete secularisation of public life. Indian secularism has allowed too much freedom to religious organisations and has led to the proliferation of communalists from different religions. The liberal Left should seriously start thinking about greater secularisation. Religion must be treated as a personal matter and strictly confined to people’s homes.
Brahma Nandan Singh,
Saharsa, Bihar
I am an Indian and a Hindu. The brutal killing has brought only shame to me. My religion has taught me love, compassion, accommodation, forgiveness and respect for all human beings. It never taught me to kill someone. It is also a matter of shame for every Indian who, while proudly furling the tricolour, takes a vow to uphold the principles enshrined in the Constitution of India.
The debate has been shamelessly diverted to whether what Akhlaq consumed was beef. Even if it was, who gave authority to a lynch mob to take law into its own hands and kill him? A dangerous trend is under way to inject us with the venom of religious bigotry. The onus is on us to fight the polarisation.
Gaurav Vats,
Patna
